Observations.
Sustainability certainly has its different meanings. I guess no one can argue against that in a sense. Just by talking to my closest non-environmental/sustainability student friends I realize that my take on it is different, most often broader and in one way more holistic than theirs. Even among us; the persons knowing more and being more everyday up-to-date with the debate and progress, the understanding differs. It’s arguable if it is a good thing or not, however, I am not stepping in to that discussion but rather sharing some interesting reflections on how I perceive the Koreans’ take on sustainability. I bet this topic is going to be continued and altered as I spend more time in Korea. This will be my first thought, without having had the time and opportunity to discuss it with any locals. As far as I have come is adding sustainable development to what I major in in all these getting-to-know-each-other-conversations. The reaction is an “ahaaa, interesting”, no more, no less.
Living and being in Seoul, a metropolis, there are not many green spaces. On the other hand, it seems like the Koreans value green spaces. I have two indicators both connected to my campus. First, on my orientation the university staff was very eager to point out that the campus had a lot of green areas and spaces to enjoy nature and sun during breaks. Also, the campus is surrounded by mountains (Gwanak mountain) and the representative of the school encouraged us to hike to the summit some time during the semester. This brings me to the second indicator, the Koreans especially the middle-aged seem to love to hike. Not only are the streets, subways and restaurants close to my campus crowed with groups of two to ten well-equipped hikers during weekends, you can also see them during the week. The well-equipped feature is very interesting, apparently as a hiker you have to have the latest gear, the “right” models and walking sticks. The street across to mine has three outdoor gear stores, right next to each other. At least for me, latest fashion and hiking do not go together, but there are always two sides of the coin – unnecessary consumption and experiencing and coming close to nature. I would say that closeness to nature seem valued and as soon as you officially can say that you are doing something that brings the Koreans people closer to nature – brag about it. Today I saw an “eco-bridge”, I did not walk on it but it looked like it was a pedestrian bridge over a highway with a lot of trees, bushes and plants along. It seemed really nice. Also, I have seen quite a few plantations of trees and smaller plants on rooftops; go rooftop gardening!
Furthermore, Koreans walk slooooooowly, really slowly. Some of the escalators barely move, today I had a mental fight with myself; I was going down to the subway, standing in an escalator that barely moved. It was people around me, not crowed but still a few on the move. The interesting thing is, no one rushes past – everyone stands still and patiently waits for the escalator to drag its way down; why not walk!? It seems like they are not in a rush. I like that, even though I am overly unused to that and always tries to be a little faster. One possible explanation, especially in the context and relation to subways could be that the trains depart so often that you never have to run. My reply to that is firm and clear: not true. They (I do not know who actually) say the subway in Seoul is among the best in the world, I would not say that but I guess that depends on what you value. I value frequent trains, here I always have to wait – it is exactly the same as in Stockholm. But again, the Koreans seem to be calm. I think that a valuable characteristic.
The slow pace and the subway remind me of another reflection, the unwillingness to walk. Is it so that the convenient and covering public transport make the Koreans a bit lazy? I mean no offense, it is only an observation based on the default way to get to uni from the subway. It is possible to walk there, it takes twenty minutes and yes, it is a pretty heavy hill to climb but in my eyes it is no match and definitely a good way to get your every-day workout. However, walking is not the way to go, but the shuttle buses are. Of course it is good that they go, what if it rains or when it is freezing cold (or rather way too hot for your own good), what I was reacting on though is the outrageous idea it would be to walk that loooong walk to campus! Catastrophe! But I guess it would be outrageous to walk in high heels the 1.5 km. it is all about. High heels are for the record the way to dress here (as a woman), or rather, it is either that or running shoes.
Let me come back to you with updates on these issues and more observations.
